Kiah Morris

Kiah Morris
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
from the Bennington 2-2 district
In office
January 7, 2015 – September 25, 2018
Preceded by Anne Lamy Mook
Succeeded by TBD
Personal details
Born Ruqaiyah Khadijah Morris
(1976-03-14) March 14, 1976
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) James Lawton
Residence Bennington, Vermont
Alma mater University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BA)

Ruqaiyah Khadijah "Kiah" Morris (born March 14, 1976) is an American politician who formerly served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected in 2014 alongside longtime Republican representative Mary A. Morrissey.[1] The two were reelected in 2016 after running unopposed.[2] The only African American woman in the state legislature, Morris announced in August 2018 that she would not seek reelection to a third term following a campaign of racist threats against her and her family.[3] She resigned the following month, citing as a factor the desire to focus on her husband's recovery from open-heart surgery.[4][5]

Electoral history

DateElectionCandidatePartyVotes%
Vermont House of Representatives, Bennington 2-2 district
Nov 4, 2014[6] General Mary A. Morrissey Republican 1,241 42.49
Kiah Morris Democratic 873 29.89
Joann Erenhouse Democratic 797 27.29
Write-Ins 10 0.33
Anne Lamy Mook did not seek reelection; seat stayed Democratic
Nov 8, 2016[7] General Mary A. Morrissey Republican 2,143 54.61
Kiah Morris Democratic 1,757 44.78
Write-Ins 24 0.61

References

  1. ↑ Whitcomb, Keith (November 5, 2014). "Kiah Morris, Mary Morrissey win Bennington State House 2-2". Bennington Banner. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  2. ↑ Therrien, Jim (November 10, 2016). "Keefe edges out incumbent Berry in Bennington-4 House race; Browning re-elected". VTDigger. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  3. ↑ Lindholm, Jane; Rosen, Sam Gale (August 30, 2018). "Rep. Kiah Morris Details 'Pervasive' Threats, Decision To Withdraw From Election". Vermont Public Radio. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Black Vermont lawmaker Kiah Morris resigns following threats". CBS News. September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  5. ↑ Stack, Liam (September 26, 2018). "Black Female Lawmaker in Vermont Resigns After Racial Harassment". The New York Times. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  6. ↑ "VT Elections Database – 2014 State Representative General Election – Bennington 2-2 District". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  7. ↑ "VT Elections Database – 2016 State Representative General Election – Bennington 2-2 District". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
Vermont House of Representatives
Preceded by
Anne Lamy Mook		 Vermont Representative from the Bennington 2-2 District
2015–2018
Served alongside: Mary A. Morrissey		 Succeeded by
TBD
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.